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Domain Age: Why Is It Important?

Some marketing professionals might suggest that domain age is “not something to worry about a great deal.” The truth is that domain age certainly matters – but there are other reasons beyond SEO concerns as to why this is true. We will count down a number of different reasons.

However, before we continue, it is important to realize that domain age is not about how long that specific domain name has been in your possession. Instead, it means the amount of time that has passed since Google first indexed that particular domain (or saw a link to it). Remember, the site has to be indexed by Google for it to mean that Google considers it 10 years old. Just because you have registered the domain a decade ago does not mean the same thing.

Established reputation

There are certain communities online where some domains have an established, good reputation. It is no easy task to build and manage an online name. In fact, many companies are spending a great deal of their advertising budget to build up a certain level of trust and level among their target audiences. You might be getting a shortcut towards reputation management when you buy a domain that has an established reputation over time.

Traffic

If you are buying an aged domain, you are likely getting at least some traffic to go along with it. This is why many entrepreneurs are looking for a domain name that has been around for some time. This can save you both time and money, but remember that you are likely paying more for a domain that enjoys a great deal of traffic.

You add credibility – the trust factor

It is important to remember that Google especially is moving towards being more “user friendly.” This means that in order to safeguard against fraudulent websites that are here-today-gone-tomorrow, they might not rank a brad-new website as high as a website that has been around for nearly a decade. How many times have we seen a website flourish; only to be gone in a few months after potential advertisers have given them their money?

Simply put, established sites are more credible than those that are just starting up. Especially if you are starting an online business where you are going to sell products, it is important that your prospective buyers are able to look at your domain age and feel comfortable – assured that you are going to actually provide them with their purchased product.

A bigger link profile

One of the primary reasons that many of the older domains are doing so well when it comes to SEO is because they are far easier to quantify as far as their backlink profile is concerned. Some websites might have been SEO optimized in the past, meaning that there are already numerous backlinks to established, credible sources from the previous owner(s). This will remain connected with your domain, unless you remove these previously built links.

The verdict on domain age

It should be obvious that domain age has a number of benefits. It is especially important that you do your research before ever buying a domain, because you want to make sure that they were not subject to penalties because of Black Hat SEO tactics or have an otherwise tarnished reputation. You might not know that your domain is tagged as spam or blocked by certain users.

As with everything in the SEO world, remember that domain age is just one piece of the puzzle. There are many other factors, and domain age is certainly not the most important factor (think backlinks and on-page optimization). An older domain is certainly going to have a little bit of an edge when it comes to certain factors online. The number of backlinks that may have taken years to acquire are quite valuable when it comes to SEO work.

Make sure that you do your homework when buying a domain, remember that you are not just looking into age, but also focusing on reputation. However, it is important to remember that every little advantage that you can get when it comes to SEO is worth looking into.